Euronews

With just a week to go before the last stage of the Tour de France gets underway in Paris, the 100th edition of cycling’s most prestigious race is gathering pace as hundreds of thousands of spectators from all over the world travelled to Lyon to witness this weekend’s action.

First held in 1903, the Tour is considered the most difficult race on the calendar due to the extreme terrain and the high level of competition.

A century after the Tour’s first official organiser Henri Desgrange, former television presenter Christian Prudhomme is now the general director and with seven days to go before the finale on the Champs Elysees, the 53 year old was quick to outline the event’s ever growing audience.

Britain’s Chris Froome is currently leading the event with Team Sky, more than two minutes ahead of Dutch rider Bauke Mollema and two-time former champion Alberto Contador.